Thinking of calling Budget Rent-a-Car? Here are some tips, to make your experience and mine more pleasant.
Etiquette:
- Be patient, and answer the agent's questions as they are asked. Of course they are not going to just book you a car without a) quoting you the price, or b) asking for your permission to do so.
- If possible, call from a telephone with a solid connection in a quiet room. If not, please just try to avoid calling from a cell phone in a pick-up truck speeding along the highway with your head out the window, music blaring from the stereo, and a screaming baby in your lap.
- In general, do not call agents "dear," "honey," "darling," "sweetie," "doll," or "baby." I, for one, am not comfortable with being called by any of these nicknames.
- Do not put an agent on hold to answer your call-waiting. Budget's time is money; your friend's time is not. Reservation agents at Budget are encouraged to hang up on an idle customer after one minute, so if you must wander off, be expedient.
- Don't commit to pick up or return a car at eleven a.m., then call to complain when you are ten hours late, and the rental location is closed, or your reservation was cancelled by the location and your vehicle rebooked for someone timely. For the record, I have never dealt with a case of the latter, but I've heard that it happens, so don't just assume that your vehicle is going to be there at any old time you decide to mosey in. We don't have an unlimited supply of vehicles, for your information.
- Do not ask a reservation agent any question you've already asked another agent at the worldwide line who was unable to assist you, such as: When is the shuttle bus coming?, or How do I get to the airport from 75th Avenue? If Sally three desks down from me couldn't tell you, nor can I.
- Do not ask to speak with a supervisor or a "manager" if an agent has put you on hold and come back with information you did not like. The fact that he or she has done so means that a supervisor has just been notified, and told the agent what to say to the customer. Asking, or demanding, to be put through to the supervisor will only gain you the same answer in a different voice. If you'd like to register a complaint about the information you were given, you'll ultimately be forwarded to customer service. Skip a step and get in touch with them.
- Keep in mind that, though you may have spoken to the reservation line four times, this is my first time speaking with you. I'm not up-to-date on all the information you gave in those other calls - fill me in, and be patient.
- Before you blow up at an agent for any difficulty you are experiencing with your credit card statement, current rental vehicle, booking on the website, or finding the Budget counter in the Los Angeles airport, keep in mind that you are probably yelling at a poor, young college student in a call centre. Your tirade will not be heard by anybody who cares, or can do anything about it, if you are speaking with anyone in any department but customer service.
- At most locations, all drivers must be a minimum age of 25 with a charge or debit card in their own name. If the card is a debit, it must have a Visa or MasterCard logo printed on it. Debit is not accepted in New York City (which, yes, does include Manhattan, Queens, Brooklyn, and the Bronx, to those residents of the city who are somehow the only people not aware of the fact that the moniker "New York City" encompasses all of those areas).
- There is no discount for being a frequent renter, and any of your personal information (such as your name, credit card information, preferred vehicle, or memberships to any clubs to which we offer discounts) is not accessible to reservation agents unless you have a Budget Fastbreak membership and profile.
- In order to reserve with rates that are advertised online, you must book online. This is true in nine cases out of ten. When it's not, you must have the promotion code and, if possible, rate code to read to the reservation agent when you call in. The specials on the website are handled by a whole other department, separate from the worldwide reservation phone line. This sounds stupid to me, too, but that's the way it is.
- Book your vehicle for as long as you may need it. Extending a reservation once it's been picked up can be a royal pain in the rear end. You will be required to give your entire charge card number over the phone, and in some cases you will be required to contact the location at which you picked up the car. Needless to say, if you rented from a busy airport, this can be difficult. On the other hand, if you book for a week, and return it after four days, your rate is adjusted at the time of return.
- Please call at least a few weeks in advance if you need an SUV, a minivan, or - god help you - a twelve- or fifteen-passenger van. Or if you need to rent in Alaska.
- Please, have the coupon, or CPN, number of any coupon you'd like to use.
- Budget cannot guarantee the following information about your vehicle: its make, model, colour, whether it has air conditioning, cassette or CD, DVD player, global positioning system, a leather interior,
front-, rear-, or four-wheel drive, whether the seats fold down, seating capacity beyond what is listed as a most predominant example, or pretty much any other crazy preferences you have. We can only make notes of them, and the rental location will try their best to comply. - Budget's premium vehicles are generally only guaranteed to seat five. Don't believe any reservation agent at the worldwide line who reports otherwise, unless they confirm that they have checked the most predominant fleet at the location. I say this because a misprinted sheet we received in training gave inaccurate information, which I've heard many agents innocuously echoing to customers.
- If you're looking for a pick-up truck, don't stack your hopes too high - we don't have many left in North America.
- Thank the agent for his or her assistance. It's my job to help you, but it's nice to be acknowledged and appreciated.
- Agree to be transferred for information on whatever promotion is offered to you at the end of the call. It's the equivalent of giving the agent a tip, as we're rewarded 36¢ for every completed customer transfer to one of our affiliates. (Yes, Joel, I've changed my mind on this matter!)